Thu 30 July 2009

On 25 July 1909, French aviator Louis Bleriot became the first person to fly an aeroplane across the English Channel, travelling from Calais to Dover in 37 minutes.

Now we fly long distances all the time but if you want to see the world, there’s a simpler solution. You can save time and money by following SatScenes and as seeing all the different places spotlit on Twitter every Saturday.

Exactly 100 years later on 25 July 2009 we have the Netherlands, Switzerland, England, Wales, Israel, the U.S., Ireland and Spain all conveniently placed here in one simple location:

BrightonPortland ORCashmere WA

La Cala

La Cala

Dry Falls, WA

Dublin

Dublin

Dublin

France

Texas

Indiana

Ventura, CA

Ventura, CA

Tel Aviv

New Quay, Wales

New Quay, Wales

Zürich

Birmingham

Zürich

Amsterdam

While most of us were lazing about, ColinBrooks (shown above with Blogography and katili) spent Saturday taking part in a 24-hour blogathon. As a part of the festivities, he’s given away a flickr pro upgrade to promote Saturday Scenes. And we have a winner: poppycede has a Flickr pro account and hopefully she will start taking photographs on Saturdays to share with all of us! Thanks for the promotion, Colin!

1) Take a photo on a Saturday and upload it to a site like Flickr or Twitpic
2) Twitter the url for your photograph to @SatScenes
3) Watch for the next post on Twitter Blog to see a great set of all the photographs together.

Wed 8 July 2009

July 4 is the 185th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 180 days remaining until the end of the year. Aphelion, the point in the year when the Earth is farthest from the Sun, occurs around this date.

Nothing else really jumped out at me from the “On this day in history” pages.

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.

I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. — I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. — Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.

Hey, as far as predictions go, he wasn’t far wrong. What’s a day or two between friends?

Happy Independence Day to all of our SatSceners from the United States! Meanwhile, onto the gallery:

I want to take the chance to say thank you to all of the contributors who have made this past year a lot of fun. At the beginning, I almost didn’t see it through but elibrody nagged me to keep it up and I’m glad I did!

It’s easy to take part. Simply snap a photograph on a Saturday and then tweet it to @SatScenes! The following week, your photograph will be immortalized here. I’m looking forward to seeing many more scenes from Saturdays all around the world.

Wed 1 July 2009

Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut (1823-1886) was a South Carolina author who kept a detailed diary during the American Civil War. You can read the entire Diary from Dixie online. It’s well written and gives a great insight into the politics and attitudes of the time.

RICHMOND, Va., June 27, 1861. – Mr. Meynardie was perfect in the part of traveling companion. He had his pleasures, too. The most pious and eloquent of parsons is human, and he enjoyed the converse of the “eminent persons” who turned up on every hand and gave their views freely on all matters of state.

Mr. Lawrence Keitt joined us en route. With him came his wife and baby. We don’t think alike, but Mr. Keitt is always original and entertaining. Already he pronounces Jeff Davis a failure and his Cabinet a farce. “Prophetic,” I suggested, as he gave his opinion before the administration had fairly got under way. He was fierce in his fault-finding as to Mr. Chesnut’s vote for Jeff Davis. He says Mr. Chesnut overpersuaded the Judge, and those two turned the tide, at least with the South Carolina delegation. We wrangled, as we always do. He says Howell Cobb’s common sense might have saved us.

Two quiet, unobtrusive Yankee school-teachers were on the train. I had spoken to them, and they had told me all about themselves. So I wrote on a scrap of paper, “Do not abuse our home and house so before these Yankee strangers, going North. Those girls are schoolmistresses returning from whence they came.”

Soldiers everywhere. They seem to be in the air, and certainly to fill all space. Keitt quoted a funny Georgia man who says we try our soldiers to see if they are hot enough before we enlist them. If, when water is thrown on them they do not sizz, they won’t do; their patriotism is too cool.

Well, just looking at this week’s collection of photographs, I think you can tell you that all the contributors to SatScenes sure do sizz!